John O’Donohue was an Irish poet and philosopher who lived in a small cottage in the West of Ireland. He wrote several books including Anam Cara: The Book of Celtic Wisdom and Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong. John passed away on January 3, 2008. He was 52 years old. You can access his website to learn more about John and his work. www.johnodonohue.com

John appeared in the 2004 Masters Forum. He spoke of many things, including his view on the thrill of being involved in a great conversation.

“When is the last time you had a great conversation? A conversation which wasn’t just two intersecting monologues, which is what passes for conversation in this culture. When have you had a great conversation in which: you overheard yourself saying things you never knew you knew; you heard yourself receiving from somebody words that absolutely found places within you that you had thought you had lost; you and your partner ascended to a different plane; memories of the exchange continued to sing in your mind for weeks afterward?”

Great Conversation:

O’Donohue left us with these questions from what he called a page of lost questions. He said each would lead to a great conversation.

Is there someone walking home this evening through the streets of Leningrad that you have never met and never will meet, but whose life had an incredible interest on yours?

At the angel bar, what stories does your angel tell about you?

Supposin’ you were to take your heart away on your own for a day out, and that you really decided to listen to your heart, what do you think your heart would say to you?

If you were in conversation with your heart, and you told it how actually, factually short your life is, what would your heart make you stop from doing right now?

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Thanks for this Ron! I love the list of questions under “Great Conversation.” They may sound sort of fanciful, but I find those questions to be profound, just as I find the idea of “Living with Open Hands . . an expression of an open mind, heart, and will” to be profound and not to be considered lightly. Rock on, my friend. Keep sharing your heart. I’m listening. Truly.

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HISTORY OF THE HEART
"Even the longest, most detailed, and most expressive obituaries always omit the essence of a life: the history of a person’s heart. How many of us wish we had asked more questions of someone we loved, not about what happened and when but about the inner experience of being that person? About hopes and fulfillments, failures and regrets? About moments of despair and moments of meaning?" (Parker Palmer, Healing the Heart of Democracy)